1. Field
At least one embodiment relates to a robot cleaner which performs a cleaning operation while traveling about a space to be cleaned, and a control method of the robot cleaner to allow the robot cleaner to more rapidly move to a target zone for cleaning, docking or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a robot cleaner is an apparatus to perform a cleaning operation by suctioning dust, loose debris, etc. from floors while traveling about a space to be cleaned without manual control.
Such a robot cleaner functions to detect a distance from an obstacle, such as furniture, office equipment, and walls, located within a cleaning zone by sensors, thereby cleaning the cleaning zone while traveling so as not to collide with the obstacle based on the detected information.
The robot cleaner travels in a preset traveling pattern, such as, e.g., a zigzag traveling pattern and a random traveling pattern, during cleaning. Also, when it is necessary to move to another zone within the same room, to the next room, or to a charging station or a docking station to recharge batteries or to discharge collected dust, the robot cleaner adopts a wall-following algorithm to allow the robot cleaner to travel along the wall.
During the wall-following traveling, the robot cleaner travels at a low speed along the wall while maintaining a constant distance from the wall, and therefore, it takes the robot cleaner a long time to reach a target zone if the room has a large area. Besides, the robot cleaner may collide with the wall, and such collision may further increase overall cleaning time.
Further, the presence of obstacles gathered toward the wall may further accelerate consumption of battery power, and a limited battery capacity may reduce a probability of the robot cleaner successfully reaching a target location.